The Battle that Never Ends
by Girl with a Flower Crown
Summary: "The Arena is a place of fear and desperation, a place where bloodstains mar the surfaces of plain gray rocks and trees whisper tales of murder. A place of kill or be killed. Twenty-four go in, only one comes out. Let the sixty-first Warrior Games begin." SYOT/SYOC CLOSED, but I would love it if you read the story anyway :)! Rated T for dark themes and murder.
1. Prologue

Sixty seasons. There have been sixty seasons since the Clans fell, overwhelmed by the Dark Forest's sheer numbers. Sixty seasons since the death of Firestar, saviour of the Clans.

Almost every cat alive during that time is now dead - either from old age or the Arena. The Arena, which many consider their worst fear.

After the Dark Forest took over, they removed everything that made the Clans...well, the _Clans_. The half-moon, on which Medicine Cats used to communicate with StarClan, was replaced with the Reaping, where cats are selected at random to participate in the Games. Reaping Day is the worst day of the year for cats of eight to twenty moons, as they are required to take part, no matter how important they are.

The Island, once used to forge bonds across borders and unite the Clans, is now an overgrown place of fear and desperation, where bloodstains mar the surfaces of plain gray rocks and trees whisper tales of murder. The Island is now the Arena, a place of kill or be killed. Twenty-four go in, but only one comes out.

Let the sixty-first Warrior Games begin.

oOo

 **So, as mentioned in the summary, this is an SYOT/SYOC (Submit Your Own Tribute/Submit Your Own Cat). The form can be found in my profile if you're interested in submitting! I only accept tributes through PM, so sorry guests. It's so that they can keep strengths hidden and stuff like that. It just makes things** ** _better_** **in my opinion, if no-one knows about hidden stuff.**

 **However, if you want to submit another cat (that isn't a tribute) you can review, although PMs are preferred c:. That might include family members, leaders, or Dark Forest cats.**

 **Also in my bio is a list of spots taken, so that you don't submit a cat that is already taken.**

 **** IMPORTANT: This is _not_ first come first serve. Do not get upset if I approve your cat, then tell you that another one has taken it's place, please! ****

 **I hope to speak with you later!**

 **\- Girl with a Flower Crown xx**


	2. ThunderClan Reapings: Be Brave

**AN: Thanks so much to everyone who submitted characters or reviewed. I'm REALLY looking forward to writing this story, and I hope you enjoy reading it!**

 **Special thanks to Cloudy Dreamcatcher, who is beta-reading this story for me!**

 **See you at the end! xx**

oOo

Flightfang twists around in her nest, trying to find a more comfortable position. A drop of water lands on her dark gray flank and she shivers at the sudden coldness. Another droplet lands on her nose and she bites her tongue to stop herself from yowling in shock. Her eyelids shoot open, revealing eyes like bright blue orbs.

Flightfang rolls herself onto her stomach, then uses her front paws to lift the upper half of her body off of her nest, grumbling all the while about leaky dens. Soft, rosy light filters in through the arching brambles over Flightfang's head, and she yawns, blinking sleep from her eyes.

Most cats find the night before the day of the half-moon a restless one, and Flightfang is no exception. Her left shoulder throbs dully from when she scratched it on thorns while going to the dirtplace, and her jaw aches from clenching her teeth together all night long.

Although as one of Seedstar's children Flightfang is well respected within ThunderClan, her position of power is useless where the Dark Forest is involved. Flightfang is not anywhere near exempt from the Reapings, and neither are her littermates, Ashenflight or Owlheart.

Flightfang pulls the rest of her body out of her nest and languidly stretches, flicking her pale pink tongue over her lips relaxedly. She steps out of ThunderClan's Warriors Den and into the camp, blinking rapidly at the sudden brightness.

"Flightfang! I'm glad to see that you're finally up!" jokes Berryfang, ThunderClan's deputy.

"Ha, ha." Flightfang mews. Her voice is dry, but her eyes sparkle mischievously.

Berryfang's words grow serious as she adds, "You'll be Hunting near to the camp, in the direction of ShadowClan's borders. The Dark Forest cats came by late last night to tell Seedstar where each cat would be Hunting."

Only a cat who has known Berryfang well for their entire life would hear the slightest bit more tension in her voice when she utters the words, "Dark Forest." The creamy-colored she-cat is not a fan of the cats from the Place of No Stars, but she understands that nothing can be done against them, the same point of view as Seedstar.

Perhaps that is why the two she-cats have been close friends since apprenticeship. Although she never had kits herself, Berryfang is a second mother to all of Seedstar's children.

Flightfang looks up to the sky and notices that the sun is whisker-lengths away from reaching halfway to noon-high, and that the Hunting is going to begin soon. Sighing in dismay at the fact that she will have to Hunt on an empty stomach, the solid gray she-cat lumbers over to wait with the other cats.

oOo

Leafpaw waits for the Hunt to begin, her paws nervously drumming on the ThunderClan camp's dusty ground. At nine moons, it is the dark gray tabby's first season eligible for the Reaping, as she came of age after the sixtieth Games were finished.

At Leafpaw's shoulder, Silverpaw is practically bouncing with excitement and nerves. Leafpaw smiles warmly at her friend, and the silver-pelted she-cat grins back.

Leafpaw laughs inwardly at her extroverted best friend, and how every emotion is always written all over Silverpaw's pretty face.

However, although Silverpaw makes it pretty obvious that she's excited, the cat on Leafpaw's other side sits quietly, only the flick of her tail every once in a while betraying her nerves.

Leafpaw's sister, Dovepaw, perches calmly, her light gray tabby tail draped daintily over her paws.

Leafpaw notices the cats around her scanning the camp for their parents, and her stomach twists in a fresh wave of grief. Her parents were both Reaped when she and Dovepaw were barely two moons old, and she can't even remember their faces. Her only memory of them is her mother telling them a story as she curled up beside her, and her father licking she and Dovepaw's pelts.

Oh, and one more thing: their names. Leafpaw has always thought that Iceflight and Ravenheart are the prettiest names a cat could have.

Silverpaw looks up at the sky and squeals in either excitement, nerves, fear, or perhaps even a mixture of them; Leafpaw can't really tell.

The dark gray she-cat follows her friends gaze, and feels a shiver run up her small body, making her wriggle with excitement. All around her, cats turn towards the exit and start to run, creating a stampede of furry legs and tails and paws.

Let the Hunt begin.

oOo

Cursedpaw wheezes as he struggles to keep up with the stronger, faster cats, his small, malnourished body heaving with exhaustion.

The small black tom had been instructed to Hunt near the lake, and was now wondering if this torture was on purpose, purely because...he's him.

Cursedpaw has never been liked by his Clanmates- his name is just a painful reminder of that- and now he can just hope and prey that Seedstar isn't feeling some sort of peculiar vengeance when she is faced with his prey later today.

Finding a thicket of bushes near to the shore, Cursedpaw stands still with his mouth slightly open, in order to scent prey.

Sure enough, the warm, musky smell of vole wafts over his tongue and his pricked ears pick up faint squeaking and rustling noises coming from inside the thicket.

Cursedpaw drops into a crouch, then stalks toward the bushes, his carefully placed paws making no noise, even as he treads over the emerald grass and colorful flowers of Greenleaf.

Cursedpaw gathers his haunches closer to his body, getting ready to jump. He pounces, his feet breaking through the green leaves of the bush and landing on the warm, furry body of a small creature. He sinks his claws into the vole's neck, slightly sickened at the feeling of blood bubbling against the tips of his paws.

Cursedpaw gets off of the vole, then turns around and leans down to pick the small animal up in his jaws.

A wave of sadness- not real sadness, but disappointment amplified by the day's mood- hits Cursedpaw as the face of Brokenkit appears in his mind, her bright yellow eyes glowing with admiration.

Vole is his little sister's favourite food, and she won't be allowed to eat the food after it's been used in the Reapings. What a waste.

With a small sigh, Cursedpaw turns around and heads back towards the ThunderClan camp.

oOo

Sagefire pads into camp and drops her catch, a measly shrew, onto the pile of prey for she-cats between twelve and fifteen moons. She growls to herself, thinking about the stupid sparrow that was only whiskers away from her claws before it flew away. Mouse-brained bird.

The tortoiseshell she-cat pads over to sit with her mother among the large crowd of silent, watchful cats.

"Only a few more need to bring their prey in, then we'll begin." Waspclaw remarks, her voice devoid of all emotion. Sagefire only nods in response. Although, at fifteen moons, she has lived through two past Reapings, she will never forget the day her father was called.

Sagefire was three moons old and watching her first Reaping. Seedstar's predecessor, Squirrelstar, pawed through the pile of prey for tom-cat from sixteen to twenty moons. He rolled a fat mouse out from on the bottom, put his nose close to it's fur, and inhaled. The name _Firewing_ rang across camp.

Sagefire was too young to understand what it had meant at the time, but now regrets that she didn't know Firewing better.

Shaking her head to bring herself back to the present, Sagefire hears the entire camp go silent when Seedstar steps forward, her body sending off waves of authority. "Let us Reap." She announces.

Sagefire feels her muscles tense as Seedstar starts to look through the pile of prey for toms aged eight to twelve moons. The leader selects and average sized vole and presses her muzzle to it's dark brown fur. "Cursedpaw!"

Sagefire feels her stomach clench with anger. She has never really liked Cursedpaw- no one really knows him, seeing as he lives on the outskirts of ThunderClan- but in the moment, she has never cared about another cat more. He is her Clanmate, for the Dark Forest's sake, and he is being sent to die!

The aforementioned cat steps forward, terror sparking in his eyes and fear radiating off of his loosely-hanging pelt. Two Dark Forest cats immediately rush forward to sniff at his sickly-looking fur, then smell the vole that Seedstar picked out, nodding to indicate that Seedstar was truthful and he has indeed been Reaped.

Cursedpaw looks as though he is about to throw up, but goes and stands with the Dark Forest cats without complaint.

Seedstar repeats the Reaping process, this time picking out a plump squirrel from the she-cat's pile. "Leafpaw!" she calls, her eyes solemn and unhappy. The dark gray she-cat steps forward, and another wave of empathy hits Sagefire.

Out of the sixty past Warrior Games, only one or two of the Victors have been apprentices. It is very likely that Sagefire will never see Leafpaw again- that is, if she herself does not get Reaped.

Again, the Dark Forest cats sniff at Leafpaw to make sure that she was the one who caught the squirrel, and again they nod in approval.

Seedstar rolls out a scrawny mouse from the pile for toms in Sagefire's age group- twelve to fifteen moons. Sagefire rolls her eyes. She doesn't even have to wonder who caught that.

"Ravenwing!" The leader shouts.

Ravenwing steps forward, the black fur on his body quivering with terror, and his blue, almost lavender eyes looking around fearfully.

Sagefire almost laughs. There is no way that Ravenwing will survive the Games. He used to be a kittypet before he joined the Clan!

Sagefire looks back at Seedstar, who is holding a skinny shrew. Her skinny shrew. "Sagefire!" Seedstar announces.

Sagefire's stomach drops to her feet, but she somehow moves forwards, almost collapsing because of the weight in her paws. Sagefire moves her tongue over her lips, her mouth as dry as one of the deserts she's heard the elders tell stories about.

Dark Forest cats sniff at Sagefire's tortoiseshell pelt, then nod in approval. My fate has been sealed, Sagefire thinks as she goes to stand with the other Tributes.

The rest of the Reaping goes by relatively quickly. Thunderstrike, a huge brown tom is Reaped after Sagefire, and she just scoffs. Thunderstrike may be big, but he couldn't hurt a fly.

Seedstar pulls out a plump rabbit from the pile for the oldest she-cats, and the crowd oohs and aahs at the catch.

Seedstar bends down to sniff the rabbit and stiffens. "F-F-Flightfang." The leader forces out.

Flightfang steps forward, looking almost...bored? Sagefire has to admire her courage. The gray she-cat's own mother just gave her a death sentence, and she still manages to stay cool and collected- at least on the outside.

"Tributes, you have until noonhigh to say good-bye to your friends and family!" Seedstar announces.

Without waiting for a sign that it is okay to go, Sagefire rushes into the crowd of cats, desperate to find her mother.

oOo

Thunderstrike looks into his sister's eyes, willing her to cry, or twine her tail in his, or SOMETHING other than just sitting down and smiling pleasantly at him.

Unlike him, Ravenfeather likes the Games. She is actually happy that Thunderstrike has been Reaped. "You'll win, brother. You'll win and make me proud." Was the first thing she said to him.  
(Can I just point out here that there is currently a 'Ravenheart', 'Ravenwing' and 'Ravenfeather..')

But Thunderstrike knows that he won't win. He hates hurting other cats, and Ravenfeather knows it too. However, he doesn't have the heart to snap at her about being delusional, and simply nods and sits back down on his haunches instead.

Across the camp, Tributes and Dark Forest cats are starting to gather near the exit. Thunderstrike gives Ravenfeather and his mother a small smile each, then runs off to join his fellow Tributes.

As they wait for Cursedpaw to return, Thunderstrike decides to start up a conversation with Ravenwing. Fearful and paranoid as he may be, the younger cat's name reminds Thunderstrike of his sister, and he likes him for that.

"How are you doing, Ravenwing?" Thunderstrike asks to the black tom's back, which is facing towards him.

oOo

Ravenwing jumps and yowls in fear, laughing nervously when he realizes that it was only Thunderstrike. Thunderstrike tilts his head to one side, sky blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Are you okay?" The huge brown tom asks.

Ravenwing nods. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you were there!" He explains.

"It's okay. How are you doing?" Thunderstrike inquires.

Ravenwing laughs, a bit of a hard edge to his voice. "As good as you can get in a situation like this, I guess."

Thunderstrike opens his mouth- probably to respond- but at that moment Cursedpaw joins them and their group starts to head off.

Ravenwing looks around, at the faces of cats waving him goodbye. He was desperate to see his friend Shadowclaw once more. He spots the dark brown eyes that belong to his savior and holds their gaze until he can't see the camp anymore.

 _Good-bye, ThunderClan._

oOo

 **Again, thanks to everyone, but Cloudy Dreamcatcher especially. Check out her stories; she's an AMAZING writer :D**

 **I will try to update every second weekend, because these chapters are LONG, but I might get a bit behind.**

 **If you would like to make another character that will have some spotlight in the story, I would appreciate it if you made either a DF cat or a past Victor of the games, because I need them both! Thanks so much for your support. Please review, as it helps me know what you like about my writing and what you don't like, so that I can improve!**

 **Thanks to:**

 **Leaf the Peregrine Falcon**

 **Ghost the Fox**

 **Moodycat2**

 **derpyeevee15**

 **Pixelfun26**

 **Eagleflight1245**

 **For submitting the characters used in this chapter :3**

 **Love ya!**

 **\- Girl with a Flower Crown xx**

 **QOTD:**

 **Who is your favourite character? Least favourite? Who do you think is most likely to win?**


	3. Victory

**AN: This chapter is very important because as well as story content it explains the sponsoring system, which you can use to keep your cat alive ;)**

 **Thanks to Cloudy Dreamcatcher for beta reading, and thanks to Imprisoned Wings for making Silentclaw.**

 **I don't think I've done this yet, so DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own either THG or Warriors. I never have and never will (unfortunately).**

oOo

Silentclaw stalks along behind the Tributes, their chattering making her want to yowl in pain and cover her ears. _"This is not a game!"_ She wants to yell at them, _"It is my job to keep one of you alive, and so far that is not happening!"_

Silentclaw's Games are still fresh in her memory, and she worries that the cat she is assigned to Mentor will die, just like the twenty-three other cats she saw get murdered, just for her to survive.

Silentclaw is the newest Victor, but she only won her Games through luck. Last season, the Dark Forest cats pulled a nasty trick by poisoning much of the food in the Arena. Silentclaw- Silverpaw, then- had a generous sponsor who gave up their food and medicinal rations to save her. Silentclaw doesn't know who this cat is, but they saved her life, and she will never forget that.

"Hello! How are you?" Another cat- Leafpaw, Silentclaw remembers- sidles up to her and asks.

"Hmm? Oh, um, okay I guess." Silentclaw replies, surprised that a cat will willingly come up and talk to her. Usually Silentclaw is avoided. Victors are well-respected, but not well-liked.

Leafpaw nods, seeming to hear the defensiveness in Silentclaw's voice. The silver she-cat mentally slaps herself for being so awkward when a cat was purposely being nice to her. "So how are you?" Silentclaw fumbles, trying to appear enthusiastic.

Leafpaw's face brightens noticeably, and Silentclaw is rewarded for her efforts with a shy smile and a speech on how she misses her best friend and sister, but is ultimately excited to be going outside of ThunderClan territory.

Silentclaw smiles and tries valiantly to listen, but eventually her own thoughts claim her attention.

Silentclaw knows that all of the odds are against Leafpaw's survival, but can't help wanting to keep the gray tabby she-cat alive at all costs.

oOo

 **This is how the sponsor system works:**

 **When you review, I count how many sentences are in the review. For every two sentences, your earn six points. I add one point for every cat you submit, so most people will earn seven points for every two sentences, but some will earn more. If there is a spare sentence at the end, it is three points, and I add one for each submitted cat. Below is a list of things you can buy. Please PM me if you want to sponsor a cat, as I do not accept anything from reviews.**

 **Things to buy:**

 _ **Food**_

 **Mouse - 20 points**

 **Frog - 20 points**

 **Sparrow - 45 points**

 **Squirrel - 45 points**

 **Rabbit - 100 points**

 _ **Medicinal**_

 **Leaf wrap with ten poppy seeds - 80 points**

 **Healing herb of choice (wounds) - 100 points**

 **Healing herb of choice (sickness) - 120 points**

 **A pawful of catmint - 250 points**

 **Three assorted healing herbs - 250 points**

 _ **Other**_

 **Leaf wrap with five deathberries - 250 points**

 **Personalized item - 250-500+ points (depends on quality of object.)**

 **Points:**

 _ **Pixelfun20: 81 points**_

 _ **Cloudy Dreamcatcher: 57 points**_

 _ **Cobrastar: 18 points**_

 _ **Moodycat2: 18 points**_

 _ **Dapplewish54: 15 points**_

 _ **AcornTail15: 12 points**_

 _ **derpyeevee15: 11 points**_

 _ **Rowanclaw24: 11 points**_

 _ **DreamingDragon58: 9 points**_

 _ **Imprisoned Wings: 7 points**_

 _ **FadedZane: 7 points**_

 _ **EtchedInLegend: 7 points**_

 _ **Berrysky1905: 7 points**_

 _ **Guest: 6 points**_

 _ **Ghost the Fox: 4 points**_

 **If you feel that my math was wrong when I added up your points, please PM me and I will try to correct my mistake.**

 **If you want to earn points, but are at a loss for what to review, I try to include a QOTD at the end of each chapter. Of course, it is completely your choice what you write in a review. I am not forcing you to do anything :) but just know that if you answer, your opinion could influence the story :0**

 **Byeeeeee!**

 **\- Girl with a Flower Crown**

 **QOTD: Do you think that Silentclaw's growing affection for Leafpaw is a good thing or a bad thing? Why?**

 **In your opinion, will Silentclaw be a good mentor?**

 **What do you think will happen if Silentclaw isn't assigned to mentor Leafpaw?**


End file.
